[Icehouse] Monochrome stashes and Loco Colors.

[Scott Sulzer]

Whew, I just got caught up on my Icehouse list mail and, well, it's a bit to
take in all at once, but I wanted to throw out a few comments of my own.

 

Monochrome stashes:

Got all the rainbow colors + Grey, working on the Xeno with Treehouse sets
myself.  It actually works out better for me because my FLGS, which wouldn't
stock Monochrome stashes, does keep at least one Rainbow and Xeno set on
hand.

However, the procrastinating, potential pieceniker in me does wish there
were still a way to get stashes of clear and/or white stashes (without the
extra cost), even if they had to be pre-ordered (say prior to a new run) and
pre-paid for, even if they came on the spews, which might actually be a
bonus for some piecenikers, depending upon the project (if you're going to
be "doing stuff" to the pyramids, cutting them from the spews shouldn't be
much of an added hassle).

I did watch the video of them being cut from the spews and sorted by color
by hand, a very labor intensive project, which also adds to my understanding
of why they Monochrome stashes are being discontinued.  

 

Loco Colors:

            I keep hearing Eco Treehouse, but one of the problems that I am
noticing with it is that many of the colors are variations on existing
colors, such as dark green (Jade?), light blue (sky blue?), which may or may
not end up being mistaken for other colors under less than good lighting
conditions.  Honestly, the Eco colors, most of them anyway, already exist in
the current stashes.  Blue (sky or water), Green (grass, trees, etc), Yellow
(sun, light), Red and/or Orange (fire, blood, flowers), White (clouds?),
Clear (air?).  Throw in Violet and we've also got all of the Aquarius colors
covered (blue, green, red, white(or cyan), purple).

            Also, everyone seems to want to focus on the four transparent,
one opaque scheme.  I know that the transparent ones are often visually more
appealing, but honestly, why?  Is there a reason for this or is it just
because that is what has been done before?

There are games that do not depend upon seeing through the pyramids
(Treehouse, Martian Chess, Homeworlds) and there are some that even require
opaqueness.  Does anyone have the ratio of games which require transparency
to those that don't?  (Just wondering)

            How about a scheme that goes with Just Desserts?

            Opaque Brown        =  Chocolate

            Opaque Pink/Red    =  Strawberry or Watermelon (Adding the
yellowish or black seeds could be a pieceniking project)

            Opaque Yellow        =  Pineapple wedges

            Opaque Tan            =  Nuts

            Opaque Orange       =  Pumpkin

(Please feel free to add to, refine, etc, this particular list)

NOTE: I'm not particularly pleased with the last two color choices myself,
but I wasn't certain what else to put right now.  I'm not sure what would
make a good transparent "Caramel" color, a shade of brown I think, but not
sure which one.

            I'm also fond of the transparent Smoke color myself, but I don't
know how well it would work in a Dessert set, unless you burn your cookies,
which isn't usually a good thing.  And, while I think the Watermelon and
Root Beer stashes are visually appealing (Yes, I saw them and went "Me
WANT"), I don't know just how fair it is to put either of those colors out
and devalue the sets that were sold previously, then again, how fair is it
to omit them?  (Otherwise, add those transparent colors to the list of
"Dessert" colors).

 

Also, the discussion on light/dark variants (pink as a light red, cyan/blue,
green and a forest green, etc)  The two that seemed to have the most
problems were yellow and orange, but isn't orange just a darker shade of
yellow (yellow with red added) and vice versa?  (How many problems with the
light/dark combos does that solve?)  Although I still want to see what
someone can suggest for an opaque clear.  (Transparent white could be a mist
color).

 

Ok, I've babbled a bit more than I intended, but I wanted to throw out some
ideas that did not yet appear to be discussed.

 

Scott

 

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